RobynRose Favourite Exfoliators
A list of my favourite exfoliating products, please DO NOT use all of them at once, they all serve different purposes!
Robynrose
Dry/Sensitive
1
BHA Blackhead Power Liquid
If I only had one choice (especially when traveling light) I choose this! It helps loosen stubborn blackheads and reveal new skin.
Robynrose
@cosrx BHA Blackhead Power Liquid 🌱 Review 🌱 Cosrx as a brand creates products that are accessible and effective. Though they generally aim for a younger customer, their formulas work far above their price level. Don't let the affordable prices fool you, these are some of the best products available 🌱 Claims: • Clear clogged pores • Prevent breakouts & reduce marks from spots • Balance oil production 🌱 Bad ingredients: None 🌱 Texture: A watery liquid with a slightly slippery, oily finish. 🌱 Scent: none 🌱 Amount: 100ml / 3.38fl oz - Enough to last several months of daily use 🌱 Price: Around $20 Canadian 🌱 Application: I use this after cleansing and toning, but before heavier moisturisers. 🌱 Robyn’s Notes: One of the things I love about this formula is how versatile it is. It’s not just effective for blackheads or oily skin. I use it - as a spot treatment for whiteheads - to treat milia around eyes and lips - as a gentle exfoliant for patches of scaly, dry skin on the body - For hard to reach blemishes like nose and ear - As a heel and elbow softener The formula is incredibly stable and plays well with most if not all of my other skincare and makeup products. It will never sting, pill, fall off, or have a weird reaction. It really is versatile and foolproof. 🌱 Accessibility: The pump has a wide button, which is easy to use, and prevents spilling. The only thing that I would note is that the cap for the bottle is round and made of smooth plastic, so if you have wet or oily hands, you can have some difficulty pulling it off. This could be improved by putting some texture bumps on the cap. 🌱 Sustainability: The bottle could be refilled if refills were sold. The matte plastic bottle is recyclable, packaging is cardboard 🌱 Overall: 5/5 🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱++ A Holy Grail I can't live without. I pack it with me whenever I travel, so I don't miss out.
COSRX
BHA Blackhead Power Liquid
4.4
(1063)
5104
2
Bean Essence
While not advertised as an exfoliant, this fermented bean essence has a high AHA content and works great removing built up dead skin.
Robynrose
🌱 Brand Story: Mixsoon does not have their own website, so this is what I could find. They are a brand that believes in undiluted singular ingredients that deliver effective results. 🌱 Claims: Alcohol-free, Paraben-free, Silicone-free, Sulfate-free, Allergen-free, Fragrance-free, Pregnancy-friendly, Non-comedogenic, Oil-free, Fungal Acne-Safe, Eczema-Safe 🌱 Key Ingredients: There are only 4 ingredients in this product 🌱Soybean ferment (Lactobacillus) extract 🌱Pomegranate ferment (Lactobacillus) extract 🌱Pear juice ferment (Lactobacillus) filtrate 🌱Barley seed ferment (Saccharomyces) filtrate 🌱 Ph: unknown 🌱 Bad Ingredients: None! Be aware though, that there are also no preservatives in this whatsoever, so be careful not to contaminate it, and watch the expiry date. 🌱 Texture: This is a very syrupy, viscous gel, halfway between essence and serum. I’ve never put anything quite like this on my face. Not even snail secretion behaves like this. It will take some getting used to, but you will be happy with the results. 🌱 Scent: None at all. 🌱 Price: Mixsoon does not have their own website, so the price will fluctuate based on retailers. $30CA for 50ml or $0.60/mL. 🌱 Application: As noted, this essence is intensely viscous. You will need to practice getting the right amount into the right places. I actually recommend paring down your other skincare and building a routine around incorporating this because it can be a bit finicky in its spread and absorption. Thicker products like ceramides can be tricky to apply on top. Make sure everything is fully absorbed before continuing to your next step. Once you become a bit more practiced with this, however, it becomes a dreamy, deeply hydrating serum that packs a huge punch. The ferment provides skin with deconstructed nutrients that are easy to absorb and use by your cells, and less likely to react with sensitive skin barriers. We are in the absolute dead of winter right now, the wind chill is a whopping -22 and this little bean essence is giving my dry, chapped skin a fighting chance against the dry, frigid air. Good things DO come in small packages! 🌱 Every day: Possibly. This product hydrates, but also gently exfoliates. If you have very sensitive skin, use every second day and do not combine with other exfoliating products. 🌱 Packaging: This pump is doing a lot of heavy lifting, pushing this rather uncontrollable jelly onto properly dispensed amounts. Good on Mixsoon for not skimping out with a cheap pump. It feels firm and dispenses a uniform drop each time. 🌱 Accessibility: While the bottle itself is fairly accessible, the cap could use some texture bumps to help with grip. If you are on the autism spectrum and have sensory processing disorder or cannot handle very slimy textures, this product may not be for you. It can be difficult to control, and can slide and drip. In terms of efficacy, the formula is excellent, but from a pure texture standpoint some people simply cannot handle the feeling of slime, especially around their face, and that’s ok. 🌱 Sustainability: Mixsoon provides minimal packaging, and the bottle is recyclable. This bottle could be refilled if refills were available. 🌱 Overall: I would recommend this to anyone who needs deep skin hydration and isn’t afraid of adventurous textures. North American customers will just have to deal with it and get used to wearing snails and rotten beans. They are the future of skincare!
MIXSOON
Bean Essence
4.6
(2749)
737
3
Green Tea Pure Peeling Gel
This is a physical exfoliant with cellulose, it does not contain acids if you are sensitive to them.
Robynrose
🌱 I received this product from Yadah and Picky in exchange for my honest review 🌱 Continuing their Green + Clean theme, Yadah has paired a cellulose-based exfoliant with their green tea cleanser. 🌱 Claims: Alcohol-free, Paraben-free, Silicone-free, Sulfate-free, Fragrance-free, Non-comedogenic “Plant-derived cellulose and Green Tea Water allow for a gentle exfoliation while retaining the skin’s moisture” 🌱 Key Ingredients: 🌿Cellulose - This is what gives these products a bit of physical exfoliation 🌿Camellia Sinensis (Green tea) water - Gives it antioxidants and a fresh scent 🌿Arginine - Humectant Amino acid 🌿Allantoin - Skin-soothing 🌿Camellia Sinensis Leaf Powder - antioxidant boost, plus physical exfoliation if powder is granular enough 🌱 Concerning ingredients: 🍂Citrus Medica Limonum - Photosensitizing 🍂Grapefruit Oil - Sensitizing 🍂Lavender Extract And Oil - Antioxidant but irritating 🍂Eucalyptus Oil - Antioxidant but irritating 🍂Rosemary Oil - Antioxidant but irritating 🍂Citrus Aurantium - Photosensitizing 🍂Limonene - Fragrance 🌱 Texture: These ingredients are not present in large amounts, but it’s is good to be aware of them in case of any allergies. Because this is a physical exfoliant and there are so many potentially irritating ingredients, I would highly recommend against using this on broken, sunburned or already irritated skin. Save it for when your barrier is more recovered. 🌱 Ph: 5.5±1, within the effective range for exfoliation without irritation. 🌱 Texture: For those unfamiliar, exfoliating products with cellulose will have a kind of “gritty” texture to them, but it’s not like the harsh apricot kernel scrubs you’re probably thinking of. These are like tiny bits of dissolved paper that give a little bit of physical exfoliation. I’ve used two of these products so far, and found the PHA peeling gel by Benton had a bit more tendency to ball up and pill on the face due to larger bits, while this gel doesn’t have that problem. An improvement, especially since the Benton one would get messy if you didn’t use it in the shower where the paper bits could fall off and wash away. 🌱 Scent: That same burst of lemony-fresh green tea like the cleanser. It’s really nice to wake up to in the morning on a warm summer day. 🌱 Price: $23.50/100mL or $0.24/mL Same as the cleanser, pretty affordable. 🌱 Application: This has a similar thickness to a gel cleanser, minus the foaming part. Apply it to clean, moist skin and rub the cellulose bits to get gentle physical exfoliation going. I like that this formula is thick enough that if you need to, you can keep it to targeted areas for combination skin or away from sensitive patches. I can use this more frequently in my T-zone around my nose and chin, while avoiding my cheeks which can get dry and don’t need as much direct exfoliation. You may want to give this product the occasional shake to prevent the cellulose from settling to the bottom. 🌱 Other uses: Anywhere you need! While this formula is much too gentle to provide proper foot peeling, you can use it on flakey patches like elbows or knees to help remove rough, dead skin. 🌱 Every day: It’s not recommended to use an exfoliant every day, even as gentle as this formula is. However, I have used it two days in a row and not felt overstripped. YMMV. 🌱 Notes: I was surprised to find this gel doesn’t contain any exfoliating acids to compliment the physical exfoliation. Perhaps something Yadah could consider in the future, adding a small amount of salicylic or AHA acid. While this gel contains the same fragrance ingredients that may cause irritation, Once again you’re not going to be using this product long enough for irritation to occur. 🌱 This formula is very similar to its cleanser counterpart, minus the cleansing agents and adding in cellulose. If your skin does not like that formula, you may want to cross this one off your list as well. 🌱 Packaging: Comes in a similar tube to the cleanser, but this one is opaque. Both are squeeze tubes with flip caps which are cheap, effective ways to safely store products. 🌱 Accessibility: This is a small note, but I appreciate that both tubes have rounded corners on the tip edges. Sometimes those corners can be sharp and this is just a nicer, more polished presentation. 🌱 Sustainability: The cap can be recycled, not sure about the tube. This product did not come with any other extra packaging. 🌱 Overall: While the cleanser doesn’t have too much that sets it above the rest, I am rather impressed with this formula. It provides the right amount of exfoliation to prevent hormonal breakouts without causing my skin to become irritated. It contains a nice fragrance with small amounts of some concerning ingredients but since I wash it off immediately I am not excessively exposing my sensitive skin. If you are ok with scents and want an affordable peel, go with this one. If you are willing to pay extra for it to be unscented and extra-super gentle, go with the Benton.
Yadah
Green Tea Pure Peeling Gel
4.4
(87)
23
4
Pink AHA BHA Serum
A one-two punch combines both AHA and BHA together.
lucyyg10
Nacific
Pink AHA BHA Serum
4.4
(131)
147
0
0
0 Comment